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ATTORNEY GENERAL TROY KING LAUNCHES ASK, LISTEN, LEARN: KIDS AND ALCOHOL DON'T MIX ACROSS THE STATE OF ALABAMA

Feb

12

2008

DOTHAN, AL — Attorney General Troy King joined The
Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility to announce a program to fight underage drinking in
Dothan today. This is the third of five stops in a statewide tour. At
the event at Beverlye Middle School, Attorney General King was joined
by Shannon Adams of The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, and Principal James Norris.

The initiative features an innovative program developed by The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility in partnership with Nickelodeon — Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don't Mix — which recognizes that the key to stopping underage drinking is communication early and often between parents and children. Ask, Listen, Learn
provides both kids and parents with information and strategies to help
jumpstart the conversation about the dangers of underage drinking, in a
format and language designed specifically for them. In addition to
today's presentation, Attorney General King will send a letter to the
parents of every student in the schools along the tour.

Attorney General King recorded a radio public service announcement
which reminds parents to talk to their children about the dangers of
underage drinking. We encourage local radio stations to air this spot
often to help spread the message.

“It's important that parents establish a dialogue with their
children about the dangers of underage drinking,” Attorney General King
said. “Statistics bear this out, as well as the kids themselves. Ask, Listen, Learn
is a viable tool to help kids resist peer pressure and other influences
that lead many of them to try alcohol for the first time around the age
of 12. That's alarming and needs to be fixed. Programs like this one
help to do just that.”

“While alcohol consumption among our nation's youth has declined
over the past 20 years, underage drinking remains unacceptably high.
According to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about
10.8 million Americans between the ages of 12-20 report current alcohol
consumption. Among youth the rate of current alcohol consumption
increases with increasing age, however, the alarming fact is first use
of alcohol typically begins around age 12. By 16, 27 percent report
current alcohol consumption,” said Ralph Blackman.

Whether or not they realize it, parents are the leading influence on
kids' decision not to drink alcohol. According to the 2003 Omnibuzz
survey conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, 65 percent of
adolescents identify parents as the leading influence in their decision
not to drink.

The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility is grateful to the American School Counselor
Association, the National Association of Secondary School Principals,
the National Latino Children's Institute, the National Middle School
Association, and U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration for providing scientific input for use in creating Ask, Listen, Learn.

Ask, Listen, Learn is unique in that it gives both kids and parents the tools to initiate the conversation about alcohol. The program includes:

A parent's booklet, detailing how to begin the
conversation, sustain the conversation and make an impact on kids. It
presents effective questions, data, conversation starters and answers
to typical objections kids raise.

A kid's booklet,
with interactive games, trivia cards with questions and answers
explaining the facts about alcohol, addressing issues including how to
avoid peer pressure, and creative ways to say no. It also includes an
Action Against Alcohol Agreement that both kids and parents can sign.

Asklistenlearn.com,
produced by Nickelodeon, is a website for kids with information on the
dangers of underage drinking including monthly polls, information
interactive games and videos, as well as more information on how to say
no.

Asklistenlearnparents.com,
produced by Nickelodeon, is a website for parents with additional
information on how to have the conversation and links to additional
national and local resources related to underage drinking.

Recognizing the important role that teachers, counselors and
administrators play as role models and purveyors of information, The
Council will also begin work on a teacher-focused component to the
program for distribution nationwide. In an effort to reach trusted
adults and kids in the Hispanic community, The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility released
Pregunte. Eschuche. Aprenda. ¡Los niños y el alcohol no mezclan! in October 2005.

Launched in 1991, The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility's
mission is to promote responsible decision-making regarding drinking or
non-drinking of beverage alcohol and to discourage all forms of
irresponsible consumption through education, communications, research,
law enforcement, and other programs. Recognizing over thirteen years of
progress, America's leading distillers have promoted The Foundation's
mission by investing more than $175 million in its programs to fight
drunk driving and underage drinking. For more information about Ask,
Listen, Learn™ or The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, or to order a copy of the
program free-of-charge, please visit www.asklistenlearnparents.com or www.responsibility.org.

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